Georgia Southern University

Digital Commons@Georgia Southern

Honors College Theses

4-1-2022

Does Participation in a University Campus Organization Impact a

Student's Success and Participation in Class?
Ashby R. Smith
Georgia Southern University

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Recommended Citation
Smith, Ashby R., "Does Participation in a University Campus Organization Impact a Student's Success and
Participation in Class?" (2022). Honors College Theses. 681.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/honors-theses/681

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 Acknowledgments

I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to support me
throughout all my research and helped me throughout this process of my honors
thesis.
To Dr. Alice Hall, thank you for taking on this project with me even with
the short time we had to work on it. Thank you for working side by side with me
through this learning process to help me succeed in this thesis. Also, thank you for
helping me with anything from figuring out my new topic to making sure my
survey questions look presentable. Without your mentorship, I do not think this
process would be possible.
To Dr. Trent Maurer, thank you for your support as well. Thank you for
helping me through this process and helping me learn how to complete this thesis.
Thank you for having meetings every Friday, allowing me to learn and meet with
other honors students to receive feedback.
I would also like to thank my family, who has been encouraging and
supportive. My mom has always been there when I need to talk about what I have
been researching and lends support in any way she can.
 2

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to support me
throughout all my research and helped me throughout this process of my honors
thesis.
To Dr. Alice Hall, thank you for taking on this project with me even with
the short time we had to work on it. Thank you for working side by side with me
through this learning process to help me succeed in this thesis. Also, thank you for
helping me with anything from figuring out my new topic to making sure my
survey questions look presentable. Without your mentorship, I do not think this
process would be possible.
To Dr. Trent Maurer, thank you for your support as well. Thank you for
helping me through this process and helping me learn how to complete this thesis.
Thank you for having meetings every Friday, allowing me to learn and meet with
other honors students to receive feedback.
I would also like to thank my family, who has been encouraging and
supportive. My mom has always been there when I need to talk about what I have
been researching and lends support in any way she can.
 3

Does Participation in a University Campus Organization Impact a Student's Success

and Participation in Class?

My research study investigated how participation in one or more university

campus organizations impacts students’ academic success and course participation. The

Survey questions used to help investigate my research question included multiple-choice

and open-ended questions that asked for information on the types of clubs’ students are

in, how much time students spend with club activities, what their opinion is on the impact

their clubs make on their GPA, and other similar topics. Research was collected via fliers

that displayed QR codes and word of mouth. This form of data collection led to some

limitations but was helpful in accessing students across campus.

Literature Review

Monthlongo (2002) documented the benefits of college organizations, including

overall satisfaction with the college experience, social experiences, leadership

opportunities, academic autonomy, and more. He reported that by participating in student

organizations students are able to get to know college life overall with the variety of

opportunities that organizations offer. Despite these overall positive findings, the study

had the limitations of the sample group of predominantly middle-class white students in

predominantly white organizations. This led to the findings not having many

contributions from minority groups or organizations that are more diverse.

Knifsend (2020) surveyed college students at California State University, where

they collected self-reports to measure extracurricular participation, its correlation to the

collective self-esteem of those who participated in one or more organizations as they

related to academic outcomes. Although they received data that involvement in activities
 4

led to a greater sense of belonging, further research would need to be done to understand

how a larger demographic group would react to this study due to the sample size being

predominantly female. Additionally, including grade point average or other variables may

help with further research based on this study.

Another similar study completed at Clemson University (Powers, 2008) focused

on the life satisfaction of college students by measuring different aspects of their life

including academic achievement and social activities, including structured social

activities such as clubs and teams. The results of the survey showed that the correlation

between structured involvement and life satisfaction was not significant and that

academic achievement was positively correlated with life satisfaction. These findings are

helpful in that they showed overall student life satisfaction.

Buckley & Lee (2021) studied college students in Ireland about their personal

opinions on participation in extracurricular activities to help identify how they felt

extracurricular activities benefited them. This was an open-ended survey that resulted in

many results that show how there are different benefits to participating in an

organization, including the impact on academic performance. This study used open-ended

questions and focused more on skill development aspects versus academic performance.

This study was done at a university in another country, so the results may not be similar

to university experiences in the U.S.

Bergen-Cico & Viscomi (2012) completed a longitudinal study, over several

semesters, looking at students' grades throughout the semesters and the relationship that

they had with the events and the attendance students had within the events. The results

showed that students who attended more events had a higher GPA and that there was a
 5

positive association between the two. There were limitations to this study such as there

are certain associations within the topic that still need further research. For example,

some of the correlation between the two aspects may be due to different student

demographics that were not looked at in much detail.

Alfano & Eduljee (2013) completed research with a sample of residential and

commuter students looking at involvement levels and employment and how they relate to

their academic performance. They also take into consideration how the two different

groups of participants, residential and commuter students, feel about whether or not they

consider themselves a part of their college community. These results were found through

a survey of statements that asked whether or not the participants agreed. Data included

correlations between the two sample sizes and how their work schedule correlates with

their GPA. Additionally, it included how there are different levels of involvement in

school-sponsored extracurricular activities depending on whether they are commuter or

residential students. One other piece of data that is included in the data is on feeling

whether they are included or not in the college community. Although, a limitation was

that the sample sizes were small due to this being conducted at a private college with only

one hundred and eight students included in the study. More research needs to be done

with a larger sample size of more than one hundred and eight undergraduate students at a

private college.

Elkins, Forrester, and Noel-Elkins (2011) investigated the levels of involvement

out of class and how that affected the participants' sense of campus community in

different aspects by having students at an institution in the Midwest answer an online

questionnaire. Results overall yielded those students that had a high level of involvement
 6

had a sense of campus community in certain aspects such as a greater sense of

community in the teaching and learning factor, which is one of the six factors from the

exploratory factor analysis (EFA) used in this study.

Strap and Farr (2010) looked at the connection between types of involvement in

psychology-related extracurricular activities and the participants' academic performance

relating to psychology majors for their research. Data collected indicated that the

satisfaction of participants depended on what psychology activities they were involved in.

Different activities, such as being involved in a club or psychology honors society, also

led to different aspects of satisfaction such as the amount of satisfaction in the overall

experience of being involved in a club versus the psychology honors society is different.

As well as being involved in a club versus the psychology honors society led to different

levels of satisfaction in the aspect of advising quality and faculty interactions. A

limitation was that this focused on psychology majors leading to further research needing

to be done on one other major as well. Further research could show the results in other

majors and also help show long-term outcomes of involvement.

Webber et al. (2013) asked a question (only one question) to survey students of a

university in the Mid-Atlantic region to help show the effects of involvement on students’

GPA by focusing on two components, academic/classroom activities and outcomes and

cocurricular measures. To analyze the data collected a Chow Test was used to show the

regression of the data sets between first-year students and seniors. There were positive

and negative correlations between the results in different aspects between the two

different groups of students. In addition to that, there were different correlations within

the different demographics of students. As well as, there are some limitations to this
 7

study including not looking at the socioeconomic status and the data being self-reported

so those who were more motivated academically may have been more motivated to

answer the questions with more in-depth responses.

Overall, these studies generally resulted in a majority of positive results related to

participation in extracurricular activities and their relationship to GPA and course

participation. But, there were some limitations in sample sizes and the location of the

studies. There may need to be more research on the aspects that affect participants or

students negatively. There are also varied research questions within these different

research articles including aspects of well-being versus aspects of academic success that

the researchers focused on, varied sample sizes, unique modes of data collection, and

more contrasting implications.

Research Questions/Hypotheses

The research question: Does Participation in a University Campus Organization

Impact a Student's Success and Participation in Class? will help further understand how

participation in an on-campus organization hinders or helps students. I hypothesize that

Georgia Southern students' participation in one or more organizations on campus has

been beneficial to not only their college experience overall but their success and

participation in classes.

Method

Sample

The study population was students who attend Georgia Southern

University. Participants were required to be actively participating in at least one on-

campus club or organization. Each subject participated in one survey that took
 8

approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. Students were informed by word of mouth and

fliers that were posted throughout campus within several academic buildings, Russell

Union, Williams center, Dining Commons, and the RAC upon approval. The flier was

posted to social media outlets, including GroupMe, and Facebook. Participants completed

an online survey on Qualtrics about their student organization participation and how their

involvement in those extracurriculars has impacted their grades and class participation.

The survey questions included multiple-choice and open-ended questions. The survey

was also advertised without using incentives.

Assessments and Measures

My assessment was a survey created to assess the Georgia Southern students who

are active and participate in one or more on-campus organizations to answer my research

question. The survey included the student’s demographic information, their GPA, what

club or clubs they are participating in, how they feel participating in the club has

influenced their academic performance and participation, and what form or category of

club or clubs they participate in. Several short answer questions were asked at the end of

the survey. This survey helped assess whether or not students felt participating in an on-

campus club or organization helped them or hindered their academic success. In order to

do this the survey had statements prompting the participants to choose whether or not

they 1. strongly disagree, 2. disagree, 3. neither agree or disagree, 4. agree, or 5. strongly

agree by using the Likert scale. It also included open-ended questions such as “How

would you describe your academic success before joining an organization or club?” and

“How would you describe your academic success after joining a club or organization?”
 9

(See appendix A). For students who completed less than 80% of the survey, the data were

not analyzed.

Results

The survey received twenty-one responses (N=21). The majority of the data

obtained was from seniors in college (n=7), and ages ranged from eighteen to twenty-

three years old. Seven of the twenty-one participants strongly agreed that their student

organization helps support their academic performance, which helps show favor in

positive relations with organizations and academic success (refer to table 1). Ten of the

participants also disagreed that their organization or organizations get in the way of their

academics (refer to table 1). Therefore, these results help explain more favorable

agreement for participation in an organization over dissatisfaction in participation

compared to their academic success. The respondents were from various clubs, including

social fraternities and sororities, spiritual, academic, and service with a few participating

in more than one. The categories selected by participants were social fraternities and

sororities, academic, service, spiritual, professional, sports, diversity education and

advocacy, honorary, cultural, and creative and performing arts. The type of student

organization most students listed was a social fraternity or sorority (n=13) and the second

was academics (n=9) (refer to table 3).

Out of all the survey respondents, the majority were female (n=17) and white

(n=18). Respondents' ages ranged from eighteen to thirty-one, with the majority (n=14)

being eighteen to twenty-three years old. The participants ranged in class standing with

most classified as a junior (n=6) or senior (n=7).

 10

The open-ended questions in the survey explained their academic success and

GPA before and after their participation in one or more on-campus organizations.

Participants could self-report their institutional GPA. The results from one of the five

open-ended questions: how would you describe your academic success after joining a

club or organization, explained how students felt that joining a club or organization

mostly had a positive impact or not much impact on their academic performance. Seven

students indicated a positive change, such as "it helped me get with peers of the same

major" and "very successful." Ten students felt little to no change by stating "Same as it

was before" or "It has not changed, I am still academically successful" or something

similar. Negative responses included statements such as "My grades started going down

the drain the semester after I joined."

Survey statements number eight through thirteen included the answer options of

1. strongly disagree, 2. disagree, 3. neither agree or disagree, 4. agree, or 5. strongly agree

(refer to table 1). These statements helped gauge the participants' opinions on the topic.

Results indicated that the participants strongly agree with the statement that their

organization helps support their academic performance (refer to Table 1). Results also

explained that the majority of the participants disagreed with the statement that their

organization gets in the way of their academic performance (refer to Table 1). Overall,

the results showed what impact students feel that participation in an organization makes

on their academic success, GPA, and balance of time with coursework.

Discussion

As hypothesized, tables four and two show that overall participation in clubs and

organizations positively impacted a student's academic performance and participation in

 11

class. Yet Table 1, indicated both positive and negative impacts on academic

performance. Similar results have also been found by Strap and Farr (2010). Although

Strap and Farr focused on psychology students, they also looked at how different types of

extracurricular involvement impacted satisfaction in the research participants.

Also, prior research found that there are a number of benefits and different aspects

that impact students' experiences with extracurricular activities (Buckley & Lee, 2021).

Buckley and Lee's (2021) findings were similar to my findings in that they relate to the

variation in results of students' opinions about extracurricular activities and how they

have impacted their college experience and academics.

The goal of this study was to get information from a diverse population of

participants in multiple different and diverse on-campus organizations and clubs. This

study received results from the majority female population (refer to table 2). This can

relate to Kinsfield’s results as their sample size was predominantly female. The results of

the study did not receive as large and diverse sample size as aimed due to fewer results

than expected, but allowed for sufficient analysis.

Limitations and Further Directions

One limitation of the research is that these results were collected from Georgia

Southern University, a university with 27,000 students in South Georgia. Previous

literature has shown that different colleges and universities have similar, but not identical,

results. If this study was conducted at another university of a different size or student

population, then the results may contrast these results due to different demographics and

different sample sizes relating to the different colleges or universities.

 12

Another limitation of this study was time constraints. The sample size is relatively

small compared to the population of the university which is 20,000 on this campus. There

were fewer responses than expected using a relatively new form of data collection with

QR codes. With more time for data collection, then the sample size would be larger and

there may be more accuracy and variation within the results.

A future direction for this project would be to post the flier several times over a

longer period of time to get a larger number of students to respond. Students might not

have seen it the first time it was posted but might have seen it the second or third. More

participants could get a wider perspective and a broader range of data. In addition,

speaking to on-campus clubs and organizations might help to get more students to

respond. Participants for this research were majority female, and this aspect could change

that to have more males participate in the research.

Data was collected through QR codes which is a relatively new form of data

collection. This new form of data collection leads those who are uninformed about this

data collection to possibly be deterred from participating. This data collection may also

need to be further advertised for the general public to be more informed about the process

of using a QR code and the process of how scanning it directs them directly to the

survey.

Reflective Critique

I have learned about social science data collection from this research project and I

am learning. I have learned how to work with time constraints and limitations that I have

with being an undergraduate student. There have been many factors that have played into

time constraints including multiple topic changes, a mentor change, and a late start to the
 13

project. With all of these playing into account, I was able to still conduct research and

receive results for this project.

I have also learned how to research literature for my literature review.

Researching literature for this project has shown me how to use different platforms in

order to find literature that is relevant to my research topic. Researching literature has

also shown me that sometimes there just is no literature published on certain topics or

aspects of this topic.

I have also learned more about how to collect data and what data analysis is. I am

definitely still learning about how to analyze data, but this has helped me greatly with

new knowledge on the subject.

 14

Table 1

Results from Likert Scale Questions

Variables SD D N A SA

8. I am actively participating in my club or organization. 2 1 2 5 11

(If more than one organization please answer relating to the

organization you spend the most time on)

9. My organization helps support my academic performance. 2 1 6 5 7

(If more than one organization please answer relating to the

organization you spend the most time on)

10. My organization gets in the way of my academic performance. 6 10 2 2 1

(If more than one organization please answer relating to the

organization you spend the most time in)

11. My organization takes more time than my coursework. 5 6 5 4 1

(If more than one organization please answer relating to the

organization you spend the most time in)

12. I am generally successful in my classes and classwork. 1 0 1 8 11

13. My organization(s) makes an impact on my classwork and 2 5 8 3 3

participation in class. (If more than one organization please answer

relating to the organization you spend the most time in)

 15

Table 2
Demographics of Participants

Characteristics n %

Age
18-20 5 23.8
21-23 9 43.9
<23 1 4.8
No answer 6 28.6

Gender
Male 2 9.5
Female 17 81
Non-binary or gender queer 2 9.5
A better description not specified 0 0.0
Prefer not to answer 0 0.0
Race/Ethnicity
Hispanic/Latino/Latina 1 4.8
White 18 85.7
Asian/Asian American 0 0.0
African American/Black 2 9.5
American Indian/Native American 0 0.0
Multicultural 0 0.0
A better description not specified above 0 0.0
Prefer not to answer 0 0.0
Class Standing
Freshman 4 19.1
Sophomore 3 14.3
Junior 6 28.6
Senior 7 33.3
Graduate Student 1 4.8
A better description not specified above 0 0.0
Prefer not to answer 0 0.0
 16

Table 3
Multiple choice and other Questions

Questions n %

1. Which of the following ranges includes your

institutional GPA?
4.0-3.50 11 52.3
3.49-3.00 8 38.1
2.99-2.50 0 0.0
2.49-2.00 1 4.8
1.99-1.50 1 4.8
1.49-1.00 0 0.0
2. How many Georgia Southern University registered
student organizations do you participate in?
1 organization 8 38.1
2 organizations 10 47.6
3 organizations 2 9.5
4 organizations 0 0.0
5 or more organizations 1 4.8
3. What are your organization or organizations that you participate
is categorized as? (check all that apply)
Academic 9 43.9
Cultural 1 4.8
Service 4 19.1
Professional 2 9.5
Social Action 0 0.0
Sports 2 9.5
Social Fraternities and Sororities 12 57.1
Honorary 2 9.5
Diversity Education and Advocacy 2 9.5
Creative and Performing Arts 1 4.8
Peer Mentorship 0 0.0
Spiritual 7 33.3
Special Interest 0 0.0
Other 1 4.8
5. How long have you been actively participating in at least one club
Or organization?
Less than one semester 0 0.0
Less than one year 9 42.8
1-2 years 6 28.6
More than two years 6 28.6
6. How much time do you spend attending events for your organization(s)
Weekly?
<1 hour 2 9.5
1-5 hours 12 57.1
6-10 hours 5 23.8
11-15 hours 1 4.8
16-20 hours 0 0.0
21-25 hours 1 4.8
More than 25 hours 0 0.0
7. How many credit hours are you taking this semester?
Less than 12 hours 1 4.8
13-15 hours 15 71.4
16-18 hours 4 19.0
More than 18 hours 1 4.8
 17

References

Alfano, H., & Eduljee, N. (2013). Differences in work, levels of involvement, and academic

performance between residential and commuter students. College Student Journal. 47(2),

334-342.

Bergen-Cico, D., & Viscomi, J. (2012). Exploring the association between campus co-curricular

involvement and academic achievement. Journal of College Student Retention: Research,

Theory & Practice, 14(3), 329–343. https://dx.doi.org/10.2190/CS.14.3.c

Buckley, P., & Lee, P. (2021). The impact of extra-curricular activity on the experience. Active

Learning in Higher Education, 22(1), 37–48.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1469/787418808988

Elkins, D., Forrester, S., & Noel-Elkins, A. (2011, March). Students’ perceived sense of campus

community: the influence of out-of-class experiences. College Student Journal, 45(1),

105-121. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ996353

Knifsend, C., Green, L., & Clifford, K. (2020). Extracurricular participation, collective self-

esteem, and academic outcomes among college students. Psi Chi Journal of

Psychological Research, 25(4), 318–326. https://doi.org/10.24839/2325-7342.JN25.4.318

Montelongo, R. (2002). Student participation in college student organizations: A review of

literature. Journal of the Student Personnel Association at Indiana University, 50-63.

Pike, G. (2003). Membership in a fraternity or sorority, student engagement, and educational

outcomes at AAU public research universities. Journal of College Student Development,

44(3), 369-382. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2003.0031

 18

Powers, C. (2008). Academic achievement and social involvement as predictors of life

satisfaction among college students. Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research, 13(3),

128–136. https://doi.org/10.24839/1089-4136.JN13.3.128

Strapp, C., & Farr, R. (2010). To get involved or not: the relation among extracurricular

involvement, satisfaction, and academic achievement. Teaching of Psychology, 37(1),

50–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/00986280903425870

Webber, K., Bauer Krylow, R., Zhang, Q. (2013). Does involvement really matter? indicators of

college student success and satisfaction. Journal of College Student Development, 54(6),

591-611. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2013.0090
 19

Appendix A

Survey Questions

1. Which of the following ranges includes your institutional GPA?

a.4.00-3.50 b. 3.49-3.00 c.2.99-2.50 d.2.49-2.00 e.1.99-1.50 f.1.49-1.00 e.<1.00

2. How many Georgia Southern University registered student organizations do you

participate in?

a.1 b.2 c.3 d.4 e. 5 or more

3. What are your organization or organizations that you participate in categorized as ?

(check all that apply)

a. Academic b. Cultural c. Service d. Professional c. Social Action d. Sports e. Social

Fraternities and Sororities f. Honorary g. Diversity Education and Advocacy g. Creative
and Performing Arts h. Peer Mentorship i. Spiritual j. Special Interest k. other (please
specify)_________

4. What are the names of the organization or organizations that you participate in?
(Please include all that apply with no abbreviations)

5. How long have you been actively participating in at least one club or organization?

a. Less than one semester b. Less than one year c.1-2 years d. More than 2 years

6. How much time do you spend attending events for your organization(s) weekly?

a. <1 hour b.1-5 hours b. 6-10 hours c.11-15 hours d. 16-20 hours e.21-25 hours f.
more than 25 hours

7. How many credit hours are you taking this semester?

a. Less than 12 hours b. 13-15 hours c.16-18 hours d. More than 18 hours

8. I am actively participating in my club or organization. (If more than one organization

please answer relating to the organization you spend the most time on)

a. Strongly disagree b. Disagree c. Neither agree nor disagree d. Agree e. Agree

strongly

9. My organization helps support my academic performance. (If more than one

organization please answer relating to the organization you spend the most time on)

a. Strongly disagree b. Disagree c. Neither agree nor disagree d. Agree e. Agree

strongly
 20

10. My organization gets in the way of my academic performance. (If more than one
organization please answer relating to the organization you spend the most time in)

a. Strongly disagree b. Disagree c. Neither agree nor disagree d. Agree e. Agree

strongly

11. My organization takes more time than my coursework. (If more than one organization
please answer relating to the organization you spend the most time in)

a. Strongly disagree b. Disagree c. Neither agree nor disagree d. Agree e. Agree

strongly

12. I am generally successful in my classes and class work.

a. Strongly disagree b. Disagree c. Neither agree nor disagree d. Agree e. Agree

strongly

13. I am generally successful in my participation with my organization or organizations.

a. Strongly disagree b. Disagree c. Neither agree nor disagree d. Agree e. Agree

strongly

14. My organization(s) makes an impact on my classwork and participation in class. (If

more than one organization please answer relating to the organization you spend the most
time in)

a. Strongly disagree b. Disagree c. Neither agree nor disagree d. Agree e. Agree

strongly

15. How would you describe your academic success before joining an organization or
club?

16. How would you describe your academic success after joining a club or organization?

17. How did you hear about this survey?

Demographics

1.What is your age?

2.What is your gender?

a. Male b. Female c. Genderqueer or non-binary d. A better description not specified e.

Prefer not to answer

3.What is your race/ethnicity?

 21

a. Hispanic/Latino/Latina b. White c. Asian/Asian American d. African

American/Black e. American Indian/Native American f. Multicultural g. A better
description not specified above h. Prefer not to answer

4. What is your class standing?

a. Freshman (0-29 credits) b. Sophomore (30-59 credits) c. Junior (60-89 credits) d.

Senior (90 or more credits) e. Graduate student f. A better description not specified
above h. Prefer not to answer